Press releases

As the latest United Nations climate change negotiations being held in Bonn, drew to a close today, Tim Gore, Oxfam's climate change policy advisor said;

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso gave a speech at the UN Climate Summit today, claiming the EU is setting a good example in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

In response to the G20 communique, Oxfam says: ‘The G20 has failed to meet the huge challenges our world faces. They continue to stumble away from taking the bold actions necessary to tackle poverty, inequality, and climate change after an uninspiring and underwhelming Summit in India this weekend.” 

The needs of people living in poverty and suffering from the effects of climate change were mostly put aside at the “One Planet” climate change summit in Paris.

“This much is clear: the actions and announcements put forward at the summit give a glimpse of what is possible to address climate change when we come together," said senior climate change policy advisor Thomas Damassa.

A new report from the UN’s High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing (AGF) makes it crystal clear that raising the public money to help poor countries build resilience to climate change is possible without putting the squeeze on taxpayers.

Governments must build back better, low carbon, economies in the wake of the coronavirus to avoid fuelling the climate crisis, warned Oxfam today ahead of the Petersberg Climate Dialogue on 27 – 28 April. The virtual meeting will bring together government ministers from across the globe to discuss international climate action. 

Todd Stern, US Climate Change Envoy for the United States said President Obama's administration was 'seized with the urgency of the task before us' at the opening session of international climate change talks in Bonn today.

EU environment ministers could break through the dominance of China and the US that prevented progress at the Tianjin climate talks by making key decisions on climate finance when they meet in Luxembourg today, says international agency Oxfam.

The UN published a preview of the climate deal in Copenhagen today. The proposals do not include a long term climate finance package to help developing countries tackle climate change and do not guarantee climate action.

Responding to the Climate Ambition Summit proceedings, Tim Gore, Head of Climate Policy at Oxfam said:  “The Climate Ambition Summit lacked real ambition. World leaders must step up in the next 12 critical months to pull the world back from the brink of catastrophic climate change.” 

 

 

 

The UNFCCC report on climate finance says that between $340 and $650 billion in finance for climate action is flowing globally with $40-175 billion going to developing countries each year. This report on climate finance makes one thing abundantly clear: only a small proportion of climate finance is flowing from developed countries to developing countries.

As global greenhouse emissions continue to rise, and climate change wreaks more havoc upon the people and places least responsible for the problem, rich polluting countries are now three years overdue on their promise to mobilize $100 billion a year in climate finance for low- and middle-income countries.

African countries pulled the emergency cord in Copenhagen today as rich countries reluctance to discuss binding emissions reductions brought chaos to the negotiations.

Oxfam International criticized today the agreement just reached by the Japanese Cabinet for watering down the country’s responsibility to contribute to global efforts to tackle climate change.

Oxfam welcomed the launch of a new website by the Dutch Minister of the Environment today (faststartfinance.org) which aims to collect and present details about climate finance pledges from developed countries.

Observers at UN Climate talks in Lima have called for strong and clear rules relating to climate finance after a scandal shows Japan is claiming funds to a coal-power plant as being ‘green.'